Friday at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City, Cosmetic Executive Women hosted its 40th annual Achiever Awards luncheon, recognizing the accomplishments of executives, and giving special awards for lifetime achievement, fragrance innovation and corporate empowerment.

“For the past 40 years the Achiever Awards have celebrated the exceptional achievements of powerful female leaders in beauty,” ​says Carlotta Jacobson, president of CEW, in a media release about the event circulated by Kaplow Communications.

“We’re thrilled to recognize all that this year’s honorees have accomplished in their careers, and to inspire the next generation of leaders,” ​she adds. ​

Professional triumph​

Five women executives were honored with CEW Achiever Awards this year. 40 years ago, when the event first launched, the organization gave only one award. CEW proudly attributes the increase to women’s prevalence and progress in the beauty industry.

This years winners:

Lorraine Coyle, senior vice president of US Sales at L’Oréal Paris

Shannon Curtin, most recently group vice president and general merchandise manager of beauty and personal care for Walgreens

Kathy O’Brien, vice president of skin and marketing services, North America, Unilever

Once in a lifetime​

Lynne Greene, group president of Estée Lauder Companies, accepted a Lifetime Achievement Award at the event, a rare honor as only four other such awards have been granted by CEW.

Greene receives the award “for her exceptional career, many contributions to the beauty industry and continuous support of CEW.” ​Next summer, Greene will retire after working for almost 40 years with Estée Lauder.

Last year’s Lifetime Achievement honoree, Leonard Lauder, was on hand to present her with the award. He emphasized that “the wealth of a company is its people,” ​and judging from the applause, everyone in attendance agreed.

Fragrance innovation​

International Flavors and Fragrances presented the CEW’s Great Idea Award for Fragrance Innovation to Sylvie Ganter.

Ganter is the creator and founder of the French luxury perfume brand Atelier Cologne. Her award-winning innovation is, perhaps at its simplest, taking inspiration from history and updating cologne for today’s luxury market.

The origin story that’s intact today is of an Italian living in Germany who blended a fragrance from citrus that would make him feel good by evoking memories of Italy. This was an early instance of using scent for pleasure. And, today Atelier Cologne makes fragrance for men and women that Ganter describes as “neo-classic perfume.”​

“Equality means business”​

That’s how LVMH explains the strategy that earned the company this year’s Corporate Empowerment for Women Award.

Half of the luxury goods company’s US beauty brand presidents are women, a good illustration of how the company has indeed “invested in seeing women succeed.”​

Clearly the Corporate Empowerment for Women Award celebrates brands, like LVMH, “for its commitment to the advancement of women within its organization.” ​It is also intended to motivate more companies to just that.

Introducing the award, Jacobsen remarked, “CEW is committed to empowering women, and that should be an imperative in this industry.” ​